Manufacturers, including aircraft manufactures for example, are under continuous pressure to reduce costs associated with and/or enhance efficiency of manufacturing processes. In this regard, manufacturing a particular article (e.g., aircraft) may require performing various steps to produce a complete example of the article. The type of steps undertaken in a manufacturing process may be dictated by the article itself (e.g., number, size, and/or shape of components), and/or by other conditions pertinent to the manufacturing process (e.g., separate production of components of the article). For example, manufacturing aircraft may require assembling components, such as fuselage or wing sections, which may be made separately, sometimes at different locations and/or by different sub-contractors. In some instances, automated devices may be utilized during manufacturing processes. In this regard, automated devices may be fixed, with the article being manufactured (or components thereof) moving (e.g., via an assembly line) to allow the automated devices to operate (e.g., applying fastening bolts). Alternatively, the automated devices may be configured as moving devices that traverse the manufactured article (or component(s) thereof) while operating on the article (or component(s)). For example, in aircraft manufacturing, automated systems capable of crawling over aircraft structures may be used, being configured to accurately position at particular location (e.g., over a fastener location), and to perform necessary operations thereat (e.g., processing the needed hole and installing a fastener).
Use of such automated systems may pose certain challenges, however. For example, challenges associated with these types of automated systems may include or relate to performing necessary course adjustments and/or enhancing the manner by which the system moves from one location to the next. In this regard, many currently available systems suffer from such limitations as low speed of movement over structure and/or skidding during course adjustments, as a result of, for example, the means currently used in securing such automated systems to the structures and/or moving them on these structures. For example, some current systems may utilize vacuum cups to adhere the system to structures. Use of such vacuum cups, however, may necessitate deactivating the vacuum cup and pulling them away from the structure before movement of the system. As for course adjustments, current systems may utilize rotation of support legs or feet to turn the system and make course adjustments. This, however, may lead to skidding of the pressure foot and is a less controlled steering method.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an apparatus and method for providing automated assembly in a manner that enhances speed and/or movement of machines used during assembly of articles, such as aircraft.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects, as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.